Selective distributing spout for elevator bins and the like



June 17, 1958 M. w. PONTO 2,839,171

SELECTIVE DISTRIBUTING SPOUT FOR ELEVATOR BINS 'AND THE; LIKEFiled'March 22, 1956 III / l/ /l/ll/ I/ l I ///77 INVENTOR. MERL YN W.Po/v To Qda/mA,

HTTORNE Y5 United States Patent SELECTIVE DISTRIBUTING SPOUT FORELEVATOR BINS AND TIE LIKE Merlyn W. Ponto, Minneapolis, Minn., assignorto Minneapolis Sheet Metal Works, Incorporated, Minneapolis, Minn., acorporation of Minnesota Application March 22, 1956, Serial No. 573,212

2 Claims. (Cl. 193-23) This invention relates to the selective loadingor filling of storage bins for granular and pulverulent materials suchas are utilized in grain elevators, feed mills, bakeries andmanufacturing plants where a plurality of vertical tanks or bins areutilized. The invention has particular relation to the selectivedistributing spouts which receive the granular or pulverulent materialfrom the top of an elevator leg or freight car or other supplyingmedium.

It is an object'of my invention to provide a compact, selectivedistributing spout unit of the class defined wherein the receivingfunnels for the various bins or storage chambers as well as theselectively movable distributing spout itself and its connection with astationary hopper or receiving member, are all enclosed and sealed fromthe surrounding atmosphere, thereby excluding dust and soot from thelines of communication and of course, from the storage bins themselves.

A further object is the provision of a distributing spout unit of theclass described occupying a minimum amount of space and of relativelylight weight and constructed to be readily attached to and whollysupported from the open, depending upper end'of an elevator leg or thelike, and wherein material of the class described maybe selectivelydistributed to any one of a multiplicity of storage bins under theremote control of an operator.

Another object is the provision of a very simple but highly etficientunitary structure of the class described adapted to be readily assembledand installed by an unskilled operator and constructed to be readilyopened, inspected and the working par-ts cleaned after installation.

These and other objects will be more apparent from the followingdescription made in connection with the accompanying drawings, in whichlike reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the severalviews and in which:

. Fig. l is a side elevation showing an embodiment of my invention inassembled form, ready for attachment support to the top of an elevatorleg or the like and ready for connection with the upper ends of thebin-supply-tubes or conduits; and

. Fig. .2 is a perspective view illustrating the main section of myunitary device with the selective, movable spout mounted therein, afterthe second section of the unit has been removed.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrate, an upstanding, truncatedconical housing constructed of heavy gauge sheet metal or equivalentmaterial, is utilized, comprising longitudinally split, housing sectionsA and B, said sections having outturned peripheral sealing andattachment flanges 2 and 3 respectively for efiicient inter-connectionof the two sections to form the unit, with provision of self-hardeningsealing material or gaskets between the opposed and secured flanges ofthe two sections.

The unitary housing is split longitudinally along a plane ofi'set somedistance from its axis whereby the main housing section A defines astructure of adequate size and volume to provide for the mounting of anoscillatory, vertical shaft 4 for controlling the selective positioning2,839,171 Patented June 17, 1958 of the distributing spout 5 and foralso furnishing the support and connection of a rigidly mounted hopperor receiver-member 6 at the top thereof as well as housing thetelescoping connections and communication between the reduced tubular,lower end 6a of said receiver and the vertical sleeve 5a at the upperend of the spout.

Main housing section A at its upper end, has integrally end and disposedangularly and diagonally relative to' the shaft 4, the upper end ofspout 5 constituting an elbow of circular cross section and having theupper extremity thereof telescoped in clearance-fitting relationexternally of the lower extremity of the tubular discharge 6a of thereceiver. The lower and discharge end of spout 5 also constitutes anelbow 5b with its axis disposed vertically and parallel to actuatingshaft 4 and spaced a short distance from the interior walls of thetruncated housing and chamber made up of sections A and B.

Distributing spout 5 is rigidly connected with and supported fromoperating shaft 4 by means of a heavy attachment collar 8 afiixed to theupper portion of said shaft which collar may be welded or otherwisesecurely attached to the underside of the spout body. A pair of diagonalbrace bars 9 interconnect the outward portion of the spout body with aportion of said shaft adjacent the closed bottom of the chamber definedby main housing section A.

Secured to the base and skirt portion of main housing section A are aplurality of upstanding, open ended bin-conduit-receiving-funnelsclustered in semi-annular arrangement and comprising alternate, longerfunnels 10 and shorter funnels 11. The funnels 10 and 11 have theirupstanding, outer edge portions contoured arcuately along edges 10a and11a to lie flush against and be Welded with the inner and relativelynarrow, cylindrical band 12 at the lower portion of the split, truncatedconical section, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The open upper extremitiesof the several funnels 10 and 11 are of segmental shape, leavingupstanding divider edges 13 which are disposed radially of shaft 4. Thefunnels 10 and 11 at their lower ends have connection collars 10b and11b respectively for making sealed connection with the upper ends of theconduits or communication spouts which go The varito the various bins ofthe storage apparatus. ous and adjacent funnels 10 and 11 are rigidlysecured together at their upper ends by welding and constitute efiicientreinforcement in-combination with a heavy bot-- tom partition 14 for theentire unit and sectional housing. Upstanding straight edges 15 areprovided at the inner peripheral portions of funnels 10 and 11 which areanguwalls of the tunnels in effectively reinforcing the entire housingsection.

A shaft bearing 4a is affixed to the bottom of partition 14 journalingshaft 4 which is extended therebeyond and has afiixed to the lowerextremity thereof, a pulley or sheave 16 preferably of V-belt type. Itwill be under- I 3 stood that the sheave l6 and consequently, shaft 4will be riven by V-belt connection from a V-pulley mounted on a verticalcountershaft and extending usually downwardly through a building orelevator and having associat d wi h the lowerjend thereof, acirculanindexing device and al o, an operating handle whereby theoscillationof the distributing spout 5 and positioning selectively ofthe same above any one of the tunnels or 11, may be obtained. Since suchcountershaft structure, drive and indexing is conventional, it is notshown in the drawings.

The hopper or receiver member 6 rigidly and durably I connected with themain housing section A is equipped at its upper end for rigid supportingattachment to an overhanging device such as the top of an elevator legand to this-end, as shown, is providedwith an outturned, rectangular.attachment flange 6b which with interposition of a gasket or sealingmedium, is rigidly bolted to a similar shaped open frame or discharge asat the bottom of the upper end of an elevator leg. .Sheave 16, belowpartition 14 has a guard and protector in the form of a depending,semi-circular flange 17 surrounding about five eighths of thecircumference thereof, and leaving one side of the pulley exposed forreceiving an endless, flexible V-belt.

For sealed attachment of the top and lower edges of the main housingsection A, horizontal attachment flanges 18 and 19 respectively areprovided. The upper flange 18 is preferably integrally formed with thetop 7 of the housing.

' In the form of the invention illustrated,the main housing section Asurrounds-approximately five eighths of the total circumference of theassembled housing and the housing section B surrounds approximatelythree eighths of said circumference. It will of course be understoodthatthe sectional housing maybe vertically split at different angularproportions of the total circumference, all within the scope of myinvention but it"bein'g desirable to'havethe'main housing A of ashellshape and cir-l The housing member B carries and supports no work;

ing parts of the device, but does have affixed to the lower skirtportionthereof and within the confines of the same, a; plurality as shown ofthe bin-supply-funnels (22 and 23). The arrangement of; such funnelsaflixed toand serving as a reinforcement to the skirt of the housingsection B is. similar to that of the funnels in housing A.

Centrally of housing section B, the polygonal shaped reg inforcing andbottom partition of the housing assembly is completed by a rigid plateor partition (dotted 21) of ashape to complete the symmetrical,polygonal configuration of'the central closure or bottom. As shown inthe drawings, a total of eight bin-supply-funnels are provided in'theassembled structure, five being carried by the main housing section A-and three by the second housing section B. It willof course beunderstood that the oscillatory distributing spout 5' may be revolvedthrough a complete 360 degree orbit, thereby disposing its dischargeends 5b over and in alignment with the center of the three or pluralityof bin-supply-funnels secured to and supported from the smaller housingsection B.

'It-will readily be seen that the two sections A and B. of my structuremay be readily assembled by merely attaching clamping bolts through theapertured flanges i of course rigidly interconnected with the uppefendof the conventional ducts or spouts leading to the various bins of theelevator or other storage building; Suchjin terconnectioniof-saidfunnels with theimOunting of-the tubes or conduits, constitutesa guy orstabilizing and I brace support for my assembledunit. The weight of saidunit and main support therefrom of course, is through connectiomoftheattachrnent means such as the rectangular attachment flange 6a at theupperopen edge of the receiver 6.

In use whenjt is desired to; deliver for storage, granular orpulverulent material from a loading device suchas an elevator leg orother loader to any one of the bins serviced, the operating shaft 4 byan attendant is turned with reference medium at a remote point to alignthe discharge end 5b of the selective spout with the :funnel of the binto be filled.

In moving the: selective spout from one position-to another, it will beseen that the spoutand weight thereof is nicely balanced on the shaft 4and that the telescoping communication at the upper end or elbow 5a ofthe oscillatory spout fits lo'oselyand externally-about thetubularrestricted and discharge portion of the receiver or hopper 6. Thecommunication connection between said hopper and spoutas well as thedischarge of material from spout to any one of the various funnelsservic ing the respective bins are entirely. protected from dust-,- sootand foreign material; all being enclosed within a sealed housing. 1

From the foregoing description it willbe seen that I have provided asimple, comparatively inexpensiveand highly eificient selectivedistributing 'spout of the class described, particularlywell adapted forelevators'ofthe' smaller size for feed mills and feed storage, bakerystorage bins, manufacturing plants where it is desired to selectivelyload a plurality of bins head distribution.

It willof course be understood that various changes may be made inarrangement, form anddetails of the parts of my structure withoutdeparting fromthesc'ope' of my invention.

What is claimed is:

l.-A selective distributing spout 'unit'for servicing a plurality ofclustered storage bins comprising, an up 'wardly tapered sealed housinghaving a rece'ive'rhopper' rigidly connected to the upper end thereof,said hopper having sealed communication with the upper interior or saidhousing through an axial'dischargesleeve, a vertical shaft journalledaxially withinsaid housing and disposed axially of said discharge sleeveand having a distributing spout aflixed thereto in a diagonal relationgenerally conforming to the taper of said housing and confined whollyWithin said'housing, said spout having an elbow at is upper endterminating in a tubular extremity axially" disposed of and having.communication with said discharge sleeve, a plurality of upright;interconnected bin:

conduit, receiving funnels arranged in annular forma tion at the bottomof said housing and rigidly connected' therewith and supported thereby,the open upperextremity ofsaid funnels lying in a substantially commonhorizontal plane, a'rnedium' constituting a' bottomifor' said housingand having means for cooperating with the peripheries of said funnels toform a sealed closure for the lower end of said housing, and said'spouthaving'a lower discharge end terminating slightly. above thecommon horizontal plane defined by the upper edges of said annularlyarranged, funnels for selective discharge there-f from a point ofoverto, said housing being composed of two vertically and longitudinallysplit sections, means for rigidly securing said sections together in anintegral unit, one of said sections being substantially greater incircumference than the other and having said hopper rigidly attached toits upper end and also having a bottom partition element rigidly securedto the inner peripheral portions of said funnels and supporting saidshaft and spout, and the section of smaller circumference also having aplurality of said funnels thereon and supported thereby.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein the means 6 for rigidlysecuring said sections together includes a plurality of horizontal andvertical flanges on the separate sections of the housing in confrontingrelation with each other and means securing said flanges together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS352,583 Spencer Nov. 16, 1886 1,145,215 Roney July 6, 1915 2,732,052Campbell et a1. Jan. 24, 1956

